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San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Orexigen, Accelrys, Otonomy, & More

Drug development and deals continued apace as the Christmas holiday draws near. Here’s the latest in San Diego’s life sciences news.

—-Orexigen Therapeutics (NASDAQ: OREX) said it has resubmitted its application with the FDA for its new weight-loss drug, a sustained release formulation of bupropion that’s being marketed as Contrave. Orexigen said last month it would be renewing its request for FDA approval after additional analysis showed its drug did not increase heart-related risks to patients.

—Accelrys (NASDAQ: ACCL), the San Diego developer of scientific software, made its fifth acquisition in two years, paying $50 million in cash to acquire Qumas, an Irish specialist in compliance and quality management software. The acquisition will add about 100 Qumas employees to the 640 Accelrys staffers around the world, including 152 at its San Diego headquarters.

—San Diego-based Otonomysaid it was dosing the first patients in a late-stage trial of an experimental drug for treating children with middle ear drainage requiring a shunt. The company expects to enroll about 500 patients in two related trials of its experimental drug for treating ear infections. In a separate statement, In a separate statement, Otonomy said it also has began to enroll its first patients in a pivotal Phase 2b study of an experimental drug that is intended to reduce vertigo in patients with unilateral Ménière’s disease.

—CareFusion (NYSE: CFN), the medical equipment manufacturer based in San Diego, said it plans to invest $100 million to acquire a 40 percent stake in Israel’s Caesarea Medical Electronics, a global infusion pump systems manufacturer. The two companies have … Next Page »